HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
Loading...

The Dragonbone Chair (original 1988; edition 1989)

by Tad Williams (Author)

Series: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn {Tad Williams} (1), Osten Ard ((Memory, Sorrow & Thorn 1) 1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
6,215771,555 (3.92)1 / 251
In the peaceful land of Osten Ard, the good king is dying-and a long-dreaded evil is about to be unleashed. Only Simon, a young kitchen boy apprenticed to a secret order of wizards dedicated to halting the coming darkness, can solve the dangerous riddle that offers salvation to the land.
Member:duncjo
Title:The Dragonbone Chair
Authors:Tad Williams (Author)
Info:Daw Books (1989), Mass Market Paperback
Collections:Your library, Unread
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (1988)

  1. 40
    A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (igorken)
    igorken: I enjoyed a game of Thrones at 30 the way i enjoyed Dragonbone Chair at 16.
  2. 01
    The Elven by Bernhard Hennen (MissBrangwen)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

Group TopicMessagesLast Message 
 Science Fiction Fans: Dragonbone Chair20 unread / 20paradoxosalpha, November 2011

» See also 251 mentions

English (72)  Dutch (3)  French (1)  German (1)  All languages (77)
Showing 1-5 of 72 (next | show all)
Love the world-building and character development. Good read. ( )
  everettroberts | Oct 20, 2023 |
This was more what I was expecting when I first read ASOIAF. Some of the names were a bit of a stumbling block but I liked it. ( )
  levlazarev | Oct 18, 2023 |
I can see its influence on George R. R. Martin ( )
  FourOfFiveWits | Sep 19, 2023 |
Orphaned Simon grows up reluctantly in the kitchens and gardens of the ancient castle Hayholt, but his ordained future of brooms and pans is disrupted by a feuding royal family, a secret society, and the stirrings of a forgotten enemy to humanity. And there's elves. And dragons.

I really liked the first third of this novel, which featured kitchen-boy Simon running amok in a huge and empty castle-state. My interest started flagging as soon as Simon left Hayholt and started going through the familiar epic-fantasy motions (e.g. dark forests, immortal evil, elves). It also features some familiar Williams tics, especially the Pynchon-esque vocabulary, enormous cast, and abundant figurative language. (You could probably develop an elaborate drinking game just from the frequency of objects compared, in the novel, to either apples or bees.) On the other hand, Simon is a realistically muddled adolescent, and his relationship with the troll Binabik is non-cloyingly sweet. ( )
  proustbot | Jun 19, 2023 |
I finished this book today. I started reading this at least one time before back in January 2022 and stopped fairly early in it. When that happens, it is not necessarily that the book is bad, rather it could mean that the book I abandon is not what I am in the mood for at the time. Or something popped up on my TBR that I just had to drop everything and read.
Anyway, I have read this now and found it extremely good. I do not recall when I started reading it but it had to be about a month ago as this is a big book (the sequels are even longer). I had been reading 'The Children of Dune' which I abandoned and picked this up. Again, not that the Dune book was bad but I think I was getting tired of the world.
This book has been described many times as being a bridging book between old Tolkien style of fantasy and what passes as fantasy today. Somewhat of a hero's journey story (so far) but not of the type where all the good people are good, bad are bad and the good live and the bad die. The character development and world building is all there and can get long but I think it is done well enough and it kept me engaged. I will say I am surprised this book and series is not discussed more than it is.
( )
  sgsmitty | Jun 14, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 72 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (42 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Tad Williamsprimary authorall editionscalculated
Benini, MilenaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Whelan,MichaelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wincott, AndrewNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my mother, Barbara Jean Evans, who taught to me a deep affection for Toad Hall, the Hundred Aker Woods, the Shire, and many other hidden places and countries beyond the fields we know. She also induced in me a lifelong desire to make my own discoveries, and to share them with others. I wish to share this book with her.
First words
Author's Warning: Wanderers in the land of Osten Are are cautioned not to put blind trust in old rules and forms, and to observe all rituals with a careful eye, for they often mask being with seeming.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

In the peaceful land of Osten Ard, the good king is dying-and a long-dreaded evil is about to be unleashed. Only Simon, a young kitchen boy apprenticed to a secret order of wizards dedicated to halting the coming darkness, can solve the dangerous riddle that offers salvation to the land.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.92)
0.5 2
1 29
1.5 5
2 65
2.5 20
3 246
3.5 66
4 530
4.5 44
5 407

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,188,830 books! | Top bar: Always visible